


Grotto

by zeski



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Coming Out, Drinking Games, M/M, Meet-Cute, Spin the Bottle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-19 02:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22036930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeski/pseuds/zeski
Summary: After years away, Zayn returns from Uni to his hometown and reunites with familiar faces. (And one not so familiar.)
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Kudos: 28





	Grotto

**Author's Note:**

> Accompanying [moodboard](https://zeskiyo.tumblr.com/post/189963835880/grotto-by-zeski-language-english-words-16k).
> 
> This is an adaptation from this cute short fim by the same name, Grotto (2013). I've changed very little this time. It just felt right with me.

Grotto

Reunions always taste weird in Zayn’s mouth. He never knows how to act, or what he should say. He gets the general idea of catching up and all, but when you’re unsure of your own words, it’s useless. He inevitably gets grilled for details, when in reality he’s the _worst_ person to talk about himself.

“You’re unbelievable!” Gabby slaps both hands to his knees, squeezing them. “You dropped off the face of the Earth! No social media, no emails, nothing!”

Zayn scratches at his neck, tries his best apologetic smile. Uni life is an incessant rush. Although true that he’d hardly tried getting in touch, he’d lived a busy life these past four years. A busy _academic_ life, counties away from his hometown.

“I’ve been living… and stuff,” he replies. Gabby’s coy smile doesn’t transmit too much confidence in his answer, however. “Wha’?”

“I didn’t hear anything from you! You could have a baby, a wife, an entire new family and I wouldn’t know!” she goes on, gesticulating as she lists hypothetical life changes. “...Do you?”

“‘Do I’ wha’?”

She blows a rather loud raspberry.

“Have a wife? A little baby? Have you found your _jaan_?” She asks, jabbing his chest with her forefinger for each item listed. “Don’t keep me in the dark, _Javadd_!”

This moment would come sooner or later, so Zayn’s half-glad it’s the former. The quicker he gets this off his chest, the easier he’ll breathe. It’ll allow him to not watch his every move the whole night, and save him some embarrassment.

 _A lot_ of it, actually.

“Gabby,” he starts, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m—”

“Oi! I’m looking for a _fooking_ boring do!” a male voice calls out. “I’m bringing the fun.”

Zayn watches his friend saunter to a small group. There’s a girl and two lads, one of them cradling packs of beer in his arms. Gabby pulls the girl into a hug, the two of them hopping in circles and squealing.

The shorter lad, Zayn recognises him immediately: Louis Tomlinson. He’d recognise that unmistakable loud mouth anywhere. An old friend of Gabby, though he and him never got past the acquaintance point. A funny guy with an unexpected soft side.

Likewise, the girl is also a known face. Zayn reckons one can’t easily forget Ayesha’s smile, nor her straightforwardness. She used to have a crush on him, and unlike other girls didn’t hesitate telling him. They never crossed the line to lovers (or proper friends), but he’d she’s closer than Louis.

Lastly, there’s this tall lad Zayn has no recollection of. And not be shallow and vain, but he’d have remembered the guy. If not for those arms, it’d be for those expressive eyebrows— they quickly change from confusion to amusement when Louis introduces him to Gabby.

Zayn quits his people-watching before it gets awkward... Food. He needs food.

“Hey, city boy,” Ayesha greets him by the food table. She gives him a brief hug when he looks up from the celery appetisers. “How’s life?”

“Good, I guess.” He shrugs then dunks his salad snack into a bowl of sauce. Knowing Gabby, this is five different kinds of pepper. “Living, studying, working... the usual.”

It doesn’t make for a great chat, and Zayn knows that. He’s aware that this kind of answer strangles the flow, and ultimately kills the conversation. He should care and try a little more, but…

No surprise that Ayesha leaves. Soon as she does, another person replaces her, and Zayn’s already dreading how it’ll go with Louis.

“That’s… a lot of sauce.”

This voice grabs Zayn’s attention, for it’s not Louis’. He looks up and finds a concerned look directed at him. These... aren’t Louis’ eyebrows. Just like this hairy, toned chest, these chiselled abs, this thick trail of hair into those broad shorts—

Wait. What?

On reflex, and realising what he’s been doing, Zayn shoves the entire celery cut into his mouth. A bad idea when he’s let it soaked in sauce, like his companion has warned him. His eyes and lungs concur it’s a miscalculation, as he starts coughing and tears blur his vision. He all but snatches the cup offered to him, downing water in a gulp.

“Thanks,” he says to Louis’ mate, still coughing a bit. “Tha’ was spicy.”

“I wonder why.” The lad giggles, and somehow it doesn’t sound ill-intended. He also holds his large hand out. “Liam.”

“Zayn.” He accepts the gesture. Liam’s grip is so firm, he’s tempted to already trust the lad with his whole life. “Gabby’s best mate.”

As Liam heads to the pool, Zayn is left with the image of a broad back stretching. Whether intentional or not, there’s little he can do to fight it off. Besides punishing himself with some more extra spicy celery, that is.

#

“Go! Go! Go! Go!” Liam and Ayesha chant, as Louis and Gabby steadily gulp their beer.

“Loser!” Gabby yells, setting her empty bottle on the table. It takes Louis a few extra seconds to drain his. “We already knew that. Now we have confirmation!”

“She cheated!” Louis cries, to which Liam gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m serious! I know she cheated!”

“ _Pendejo!_ ” Gabby flicks him in the forehead. “Stop being a little bitch of a sore loser, Tomlinson!”

A little alcohol always draws her inner sailor out. Zayn’s always half-guilty about enjoying it, but it _is_ funny. To him, at least. He’d say the same goes for Liam, given that he notices that fake coughing concealing a few giggles.

Gabby lays her bottle down on the floor. “Let’s play something else, okay?”

It’s Zayn’s cue to peel his top off and rush to the pool. He’ll finish stretching first, so there’s time to watch the game from afar, away from suspicions. The bottle spins and skids, before it points to Ayesha. Louis wolf whistles, whilst Liam watches with an amused expression.

The girls have a timid kiss. Rather rushed, too. In Zayn’s opinion, they should have enjoyed it a little more, since this is a judgement-free experience. One (or both) of them might even find a new part of themselves. It happens more often than not, his Uni life has taught him.

“City boy, come here.” Ayesha pats the spot next to her. “You're not going anywhere. You can't even swim!”

Rude. In the past, yes, but that changed over a year ago. He won't say he's ready for a triathlon, no. Yet, he's confident be won't sink like a rock to the bottom of Gabby’s pool.

“I’m just watching,” he replies, taking a seat.

Ayesha shakes her head. “You’re so not.”

Spinning, spinning, spinning. The bottle halts again, and along with it Zayn’s breathing. He's sure he must resemble a deer in the headlights, because Liam just _stares_ at him.

The proverbial bell saves him, as thunder roars across the skies. Louis is the first one back on his feet, grabbing what's left of beer and hurrying for shelter. Not a fan of those, if his _“told ya it was coming”_ to Gabby is any hint. Ayesha also rushes to the house, and Liam goes for his shirt. Only Zayn’s takes a different course, going for his charging phone, but in the commotion he misses Liam’s warning.

_Thud._

Air becomes water to then become air again. Zayn’s emerges to find Liam holding his nose. God. He's known the guy for like an hour, and he’s already hit him. _Superb, Zayn._

“I'm sorry!” they say in unison.

“You're a good swimmer,” Liam says instead. There's no blood on his nose or hand, which relieves some guilt. “Although drunk people shouldn't be in the pool. You are...?”

“Zayn,” he replies. He's sure he's told his name before.

“Drunk, I mean.” Liam paddles his way closer. Zayn only realises it when a tiled wall presses to his back. “I know your name, _Zayn_.”

The way Liam’s eyes scrutinise his face send Zayn’s levels self-consciousness through the roof. This is too close. And despite this proximity, all he can think about are those long, wet eyelashes. He's told his are long, but Liam’s easily rival his.

“We should—” he reaches for the ladder. “Right?”

Liam nods, eyes still trained on him. “We should.”

What they ‘should’, though? Zayn has no idea. All he knows is that his eyes close the moment he feels a hand encase his on the ladder. He also hears water moving, meaning Liam gets _closer_.

“Are you coming out?” he hears Liam ask.

“Was trying to.” Nothing remotely funny about it, and still he chuckles. “Then you showed up—”

“I showed up?”

Zayn frowns. Liam’s voice sounds a little distant. No wonder he opens his eyes to an empty pool. He glances around till he finds an extended hand above him.

“Are you coming out of the pool?” Liam reiterates, smirk on his face.

As a matter of fact, drowning and never surfacing again would be merciful. Zayn’s words can't be taken any other way, and Liam’s—admittedly gorgeous—smile tells him it really can't. So why he lets himself be hauled out of water is a complete mystery.

And he's just out of water, when Liam closes the distance between them, locking their lips in a lingering kiss. There's also a hand on the nape of his neck, the surprise it provides allowing Liam’s tongue deeper access.

“You should try harder.” Liam steps back, beaming like the sun itself. His eyebrows quirk twice, once he’s done with a shameless once-over. “Last one to the house is a sleepy mouse!”

After brief consideration, Zayn dashes after Liam to the house. He won't win this race, that's for sure. From the looks of it, though, his reward is already certain, if only he runs for it.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> For inquiries, prompts and AUs, reach me @[zeskiyo](https://zeskiyo.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, or @[zeskiverse](https://twitter.com/zeskiverse) on twitter.


End file.
